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Category: Archive 2011

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1. Correct Vu on Deja plus geezer suggestions
2. 62 and Inter City
3. Frozen Feb part 2

Corrections to a response to "Innovations or just another Déjà Vu"

> Mid seventies: introduction of circle towing
> 

...1965 for first attempts, 1969 for the Lepp hook
 

> End seventies – beginning eighties: - introduction of zoom launching
> 

....unless I'm much mistaken Andres Lepp was zooming them off once his
hook was perfected.

> Eighties and early nineties structural changes:  higher zoom launches
> particiat
> 

..... errm, M&K had carbon wings in 1988

> Mid-end nineties: introduction of bunt launching
> 

.... and Viktor Tchop was bunting in 1989

> Start-mid 2010:  introduction of electronics
> 

..... Nope! Try 1977 and ask either Ken Bauer or Tom Koster if you don't
believe me, but I was using both Bauer and Koster single function
electronic timers in Australia and California in 1983 and remember
seeing Ken's servo hook at the 1998 Maxmen.

See http://www.gregorie.org/freeflight/f1a_history/index.html for what
is as near as I can piece together the full history of F1A development
up to 2004. LDS isn't yet covered and will be in due course. 

That page contains to more details and attributions for every
significant development between 1965 and 2004. If you can provide more
documentation for the rest and/or add more detail to the more fully
documented developments I'll be pleased to hear from you.

And a suggestion:
=================
Since F1A is and always has been performance limited, its scarcely
spoiling the spirit of the class to limit it some more in order to
better fit contests to the smaller fields we're having to use and to
help preserve the rest of them. If the resulting models are once again
within the construction capability of the average model flyer and less
expensive than the current crop of factory models, so much the better. 

Accordingly, a modest proposal:

1 Keep the current F1A area, weight and towline length.

2 Circle tow hooks are permitted because this makes towing much
  easier for both geezers and younger, unfit sportsmen in calm
  conditions and because good hooks are available at reasonable prices.

3 No variable camber, controlled wing warping, movable control
  surfaces or folding wings are permitted. 

4 All surfaces must be fixed at a constant incidence and washin/washout
  from launch until the end of the timed flight with two exceptions: 
  a D/t by timer and/or radio is permitted.
  b Auto-rudder is permitted.

5 Controlled CG shift during flight is not permitted.

6 There is no limitation on structures, materials or wing sections.

7 No limitation is placed in timer operating principles. Mechanical
  and electronic are both permitted. Single function electronic timers
  prevent model loss after a line break or letting go of the end of the
  line and get cheaper each year.



plus a further update ..

The Lepp hook was in use at the Save WC (1969?) - I remember Lagan's
slide show at a WMAC meeting after he's got back and that one shot was
of Lepp's engineering drawing of it. I think you'd have still been in NZ
for that.

OTOH the first mass use of circle and zoom launch was in 1975 at the
Bulgarian WC. It was the 'must-have' technology at that event. I think
everybody had at least one model with it in their box though most,
including myself, couldn't really use them well. 

Martin

62nd Annual Inter-City Free Flight